As of February 1, plastic grocery bags will no longer be available at the Co-op Food Stores in Lebanon, Hanover, and White River Junction. It’s a good move, and a significant one; according to the Co-op, half of its customers request plastic bags at checkout. But it has made me wonder what I will be doing with my dripping raw chicken and potentially-leaking prepared foods.
Fortunately, the Co-op is on it, at least when it comes to the drippy chicken. Having asked, I’ve been told that the meat department will have plastic bags available to keep everything tidy and contamination-free. Even better is the Co-op’s overall commitment to safe and sustainable packaging. According to Emily Rogers, Member Education Manager:
We're embarking on a large project to look at implementing more sustainable packaging for all Co-op controlled packaging throughout this year. We'll be looking at building more opportunities for reuse in our shopping experience, sourcing of post-consumer recycled packaging when plastic is required to ensure food safety, and building waste streams for Co-op packaging that cannot be handled through home waste streams, e.g. compostable containers.
The issue of how to transport your groceries is complicated, not quite as simple as swapping out plastic bags for reusable cloth ones. Even as I have struggled to remember to bring reusable bags, I am concerned with bacteria and viruses that apparently love to live in them. I am not one to run from every stray microbe. (I grew up in an era and survived (!) when my mother did the (now) unthinkable—defrosted ground meat on the kitchen counter at room temperature.) Having lived through a period with a weakened immune system, however, has made me more cautious.
If you google “reusable grocery bags” you’ll find studies that show that they often harbor the kind of bacteria, like E. Coli and others, that can make you and your family sick. Do you keep your bags in a warm car, as I sometimes do, so that you won’t forget them? It makes the bacteria problem worse. https://uanews.arizona.edu/story/reusable-grocery-bags-contaminated-with-e-coli-other-bacteria
Just wash them, then. The recommendation is to machine wash in hot water after each use. The same studies say that 97% of those of us using reusable bags don’t do that. Worse, even if you do wash, your food can be contaminated by non-washers who bring their bags into the store, then plunk them in the carts and onto the checkout counter.
It gets more complicated. Some have stated that these studies are questionable—and may overstate the health risks—because they were funded by companies that manufacture plastic bags. Those same companies have responded with the sad argument that they also manufacture chemicals that are used to make certain kinds of reusable bags, so they are not necessarily partial to plastic. (Wait, chemicals? In reusable bags?)
By now you may be thinking that vegetarianism is the answer (and to more than just the grocery bag conundrum). Sigh. Fruits and veggies can carry bacteria too, although meats are the bigger culprits.
As for rumors of charging for paper bags, not so fast. I have been told as follows: “The Co-op will not be charging for paper bags unless required to do so by state regulation and will not implement any charge until the deadlines listed in the legislation.” For Vermont, that could be ten cents per bag as of July 1; the Co-op is seeking clarification. Legislation on the issue has been introduced in New Hampshire.
Got any wisdom on this? Strategies for being healthy and eco at the same time? Perhaps paper for the meats and veggies, cloth for the grocery items? Cardboard boxes? Meanwhile, the Co-op and others say that re-use is crucial, whatever sort of bag you prefer.
This is Artful, a newsletter/blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley. If you like what you’re reading, please share this post. The button is below.
Plastic bags at the Co-op: adieu and what’s next?
Plastic bags at the Co-op: adieu and what’s next?
Plastic bags at the Co-op: adieu and what’s next?
As of February 1, plastic grocery bags will no longer be available at the Co-op Food Stores in Lebanon, Hanover, and White River Junction. It’s a good move, and a significant one; according to the Co-op, half of its customers request plastic bags at checkout. But it has made me wonder what I will be doing with my dripping raw chicken and potentially-leaking prepared foods.
Fortunately, the Co-op is on it, at least when it comes to the drippy chicken. Having asked, I’ve been told that the meat department will have plastic bags available to keep everything tidy and contamination-free. Even better is the Co-op’s overall commitment to safe and sustainable packaging. According to Emily Rogers, Member Education Manager:
The issue of how to transport your groceries is complicated, not quite as simple as swapping out plastic bags for reusable cloth ones. Even as I have struggled to remember to bring reusable bags, I am concerned with bacteria and viruses that apparently love to live in them. I am not one to run from every stray microbe. (I grew up in an era and survived (!) when my mother did the (now) unthinkable—defrosted ground meat on the kitchen counter at room temperature.) Having lived through a period with a weakened immune system, however, has made me more cautious.
If you google “reusable grocery bags” you’ll find studies that show that they often harbor the kind of bacteria, like E. Coli and others, that can make you and your family sick. Do you keep your bags in a warm car, as I sometimes do, so that you won’t forget them? It makes the bacteria problem worse.
https://uanews.arizona.edu/story/reusable-grocery-bags-contaminated-with-e-coli-other-bacteria
Just wash them, then. The recommendation is to machine wash in hot water after each use. The same studies say that 97% of those of us using reusable bags don’t do that. Worse, even if you do wash, your food can be contaminated by non-washers who bring their bags into the store, then plunk them in the carts and onto the checkout counter.
It gets more complicated. Some have stated that these studies are questionable—and may overstate the health risks—because they were funded by companies that manufacture plastic bags. Those same companies have responded with the sad argument that they also manufacture chemicals that are used to make certain kinds of reusable bags, so they are not necessarily partial to plastic. (Wait, chemicals? In reusable bags?)
By now you may be thinking that vegetarianism is the answer (and to more than just the grocery bag conundrum). Sigh. Fruits and veggies can carry bacteria too, although meats are the bigger culprits.
As for rumors of charging for paper bags, not so fast. I have been told as follows: “The Co-op will not be charging for paper bags unless required to do so by state regulation and will not implement any charge until the deadlines listed in the legislation.” For Vermont, that could be ten cents per bag as of July 1; the Co-op is seeking clarification. Legislation on the issue has been introduced in New Hampshire.
Got any wisdom on this? Strategies for being healthy and eco at the same time? Perhaps paper for the meats and veggies, cloth for the grocery items? Cardboard boxes? Meanwhile, the Co-op and others say that re-use is crucial, whatever sort of bag you prefer.
More info from the Co-op can be found here.
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This is Artful, a newsletter/blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley. If you like what you’re reading, please share this post. The button is below.
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